May 12, 2008

Edmonds on Cubs radar

Is Jim Edmonds toast, or should the Cubs take a flyer on the recently released San Diego centerfielder?

That's a decision Jim Hendry will be pondering over the next two days as he waits to see if Edmonds clears waivers on Wednesday.

Looking strictly at the numbers, it doesn’t appear to be worth the risk. Edmonds hit .178 with a .265 on-base percentage for the Padres, and seems to be past his prime, turning 38 next month. On the other hand, he does have a .298 career average against right-handers, and they’d only have to pay Edmonds the major league minimum.

So if the Cubs signed him and it doesn’t work out, they could always pull the plug quickly and move on. No harm, no foul.

At this point, Felix Pie doesn’t look like he’s going to be the kind of hitter the Cubs envisioned, and appears to be headed back to Triple-A Iowa soon to work on his stroke. That leaves the Cubs with the options of using Reed Johnson full-time, bringing up switch-hitting centerfielder Andres Torres from Iowa, or moving Kosuke Fukudome to center on a part-time basis and using Mark DeRosa in right, with either Mike Fontenot or Ronny Cedeno at second.

Edmonds has 17 career home runs at Wrigley Field, including the memorable one in 2004 when Carlos Zambrano shouted at him as he rounded the bases. Since the playing field at Wrigley Field is much than Petco Park, Edmonds wouldn’t have to move around as much in center.

Of course, Hendry is probably going to be ripped if he signs Edmonds, but that has never deterred him from making a move he thinks will help the team.

Don't give up on Pie so soon. Johnson ain't good enough full time and Edmonds is just too old and have we forgotten...injury-prone. I think the cubs should stay put and wait tilll the trading deadline if things don't work out.

Edmonds is no better than Pie right now, and he's a primadonna. This would be a horrible move.

Pie has a higher OPS than either Edmonds or Reed Johnson this year (until Reed's HR yesterday anyway). Why the Cubs brass can't see this is beyond me. Just bat Pie 7th against righties and play Reed the rest of the time and it will be fine. Pie won't improve without consistent ABs.

PLEASE DO NOT SIGN THIS OVER THE HILL LOSER.. WE DONT NEED THIS GUY...IF YOU CAN'T EVEN MAKE SAN DIEGO THEN WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU BELONG AS A CUB.IF THEY WANT TO SIGN SOMEONE WHO CAN PLAY THE OUTFIELD PART TIME OR WHATEVER IT IS..I RECALL THERE IS A GUY OUT THERE BY THE NAME OF BARRY BONDS. CAN YOU JUST IMAGE THIS LINEUP WITH HIM IN THERE. IT WOULD BE UNSTOPPABLE AND THE GREATEST LINEUP EVER SEEN IN THE GAME..SO PLEASE DONT SIGN EDMONDS DO THE RIGHT THING AND BRING BARRY BONDS TO CHICAGO AND HE'LL GET IS FIRST RING AND THE 100 YEARS WELL BE DEAD...

Pie is a bum. There is nothing wrong with having a veteran lefty bat off the bench, although Edmonds off the field life and personality could be detrimental to the clubhouse. It wont hurt to try, anything is better then seeing Pie strike out half the time.

I will become violently ill if the Cubs sign this showboating jerkoff. Wanna see a routine flyball turn in to a Sportscenter Web Gem? Jim Edmonds is your guy! And as has been stated already, if he can't hack it in San Diego - SAN DIEGO - what could he POSSIBLY bring to this club?

I hope Edmonds doesn't come here. Check out this related story about the Cubs and Edmonds:

Written by Bob Warja (Bleacher Report dot com):

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs are seriously considering the possibility of signing former Cardinal and recently released Padre center fielder Jim Edmonds.

On the surface, it seems like a no-lose proposition, as the move won't cost the Cubs in terms of players and the money involved would be small potatoes. But the question is, does Edmonds have anything left?

Apparently the San Diego Padres don't think so. With a .178/.265/.233 line, they released him on May 9. The soon-to-be 38 year old former St. Louis Cardinal was acquired by the Pads last December with cash from the Red Birds in exchange for infielder David Freese.

In addition to his lack of offensive production, the Padres had been concerned about Edmond's ability to track down fly balls in spacious Petco field. Perhaps the more intimate confines of Wrigley Field will give him a better chance to be successful.

Edmonds had started the season on the disabled list after straining his right calf in early March. Activated on April 5, he went 16-for-90 with just one home run and six RBI for the Padres.

Edmonds is a career .286/.377 hitter, with 363 home runs and 1127 RBI. The lefty-hitting and throwing Edmonds had eight gold gloves in his career.

So back to the question of whether he has anything left in the tank or not. It doesn't appear so, but given the Cubs need to replace Felix Pie with someone capable of platooning with Reed Johnson, it might be a worthwhile gamble to take.

It has become clear that Pie won't develop playing sporadically like he is now, so he needs to go back to the minors and learn the strike zone. It is also equally clear that Reed Johnson is not an every day player in the major leagues either.

So go ahead, Jim Hendry, and take the chance or find someone else to pick up to help in CF (Coco Crisp?). You have to do something, as this situation is not good for the club or for a young player like Pie. Come to think of it, the main benefit will be giving Pie a chance to play regularly again.

They should take this chance. He could heal nicely and is still pretty good defensively I'd bet. Wrigley outfield isn't as big as the others he played at. More importantly, he brings World Series Champ experience and will be a clubhouse leader. Did I mention he is my favorite MLB player? Those amazing catches are breathtaking!

Aaaah I can't imagine rooting for Jim Edmonds! He's a Cardinal at heart, and I just don't see him in a Cubbie uniform. No thank you! There has to be someone we can sign and plug-in as a part time outfielder. What about Lofton?

DONT FRIGGIN DO IT. This would be a horrible move. Trading one bad hitter for another? Might as well stay with Pie at least he has decent upside potential. This would be a ridiculous signing. He just got canned from a horrible team that doesnt have anyone hitting .300. If you want a leftie that can play center field, why not pick up Kenny Lofton? Imagine him leading off again. Maybe you all didnt notice that he was the sparkplug that got us to the NLCS in '03. Jim Edmonds.... WHAT A JOKE

heck no. keep pie up and playing the defense role he is playing. he will get better and by season end expect him to be the starter. how much is pie going to learn hitting in triple A he already proved he can hit triple A pitching he needs to stay up and learn how to hit major league pitching. triple A pitching gets him thinking he can hit a home run on every pitch. plus defense is what we need. ramieriz, soto, lee, derosa, fukodome all provide enough offense we leade the league in runs defese is what we need.

Pie didn't work out. What a surprise. The Cubs have not developed a decent position player from within the organization for a generation, unless Soto is the real deal. I am sure there are many complex factors involved in this result which is a gigantic organizational failure. The absolute inability to develop one or many homegrown stars is suggests to me that they don't deserve to win it all, and probably won't.

Most good and great players didn't get there on their own. Make your list of todays 10 greatest stars and I say if they had come through the Cub organization 8 of them would be no names..

I never thought too much about the Cubs/Cardinal rivalry until I lived in Central Illinois and saw how arrogant and nasty the Cardinal fans are. I would never sign an ex-Cardinal player especially Edmonds. Use Ronnie Cedeno in Center as I hate to see our young players go for an older veteran who has no understanding of what it means to be a Cub Player.

I gotta believe the only reason the Cubs are considering Edmonds is because he bats left-handed. So what, I say. He's hitting only .192 against righties this year. I'm sure all the righties on the Cubs' bench are capable of doing better than this against right-handed pitching. Even Pie hits .245 against righties.

Who said Jim Edmonds is a Cardinal at heart. That's a laugh. Professional ballplayers are mercenaries, plain and simple. Basketball teams have 10 day contracts. I don't see anything wrong in giving Jim Edmonds a look see on a minimum contract. If the Cubs brought back Steve Trachsel last year is it that much of stretch for Edmonds.
Come August or September, if the Cubs are still in the playoff hunt, you know very well Jim Hendry will be looking for veteran players...just like Jim Edmonds to fill part-time roles. Might as well start early.

Um, jeffrey, did you just say bring in Bonds?? Obviously he'll hit home runs but would the Cubs really want all the extra attention? The Cubs are doing a good job right now laying low, they aren't getting much media attention, they are just referred to as "Good." Signing Bonds will highlight the obvious highs that would come, but just imagine if it doesn't work. Lou would shift him around so much to make it work, it would surprise me to see him pitch! I'd pass on Edmonds as well. Giving up on Pie right now is the wrong thing to do. He's never going to be a great hitter, just kind of okay, but with the speed, and defense, he's just too valuable.

I do not believe Edmonds is the answer because he is over-the-hill. If given time, Pie is going to be a great player. Lou has already worked on shortening his stroke and in time he will be a better hitter. He already has all the other tools and I believe you keep him at the bottom of the order and work his way from there, otherwise we will have another Corey Patterson on our hands.